Week 6 preview
Kansas City, with its perfect record, faces Pittsburgh. Capsule previews of the weekend games
Bears (1-4) at Ravens (3-2)
TV: Sunday, 1, Fox ( Sam Rosen, Ronde Barber, Kristina Pink)
The matchup: The Mitchell Trubisky era got underway vs. the Vikings, and the No. 2 overall pick goes from facing one talented and dangerous defense to another — coordinator Dean Pees’ Baltimore Ravens have 12 takeaways. The Bears were near the bottom of the NFL in giveaways. Trubisky’s insertion on offense sparks optimism, but the defense lost another starter. OLB Willie Young (torn triceps) was put on injured reserve, the fifth starter in 2017 to land there. The Ravens return home tied with the Pittsburgh Steelers atop the AFC North. QB Joe Flacco completed his first game without a turnover, and his offense overcame the loss of RG Dan Skura (knee) and RB Terrance West (calf).
Browns (0-5) at Texans (2-3)
TV: Sunday, 1, CBS (Andrew Catalon, James Lofton)
The matchup: This season was supposed to be about the Browns developing rookie QB DeShone Kizer, but Kizer was benched after turning the ball over twice in the red zone in Week 5. Coach Hue Jackson announced Wednesday that Kevin Hogan would start Sunday, but the Texans aren’t scared of either. On the bright side, No. 1 overall pick Myles Garrett had two sacks in his NFL debut. Texans rookie QB Deshaun Watson, whom the Browns handed to the Texans during last year’s draft for a 2018 first-round pick, has nine TD passes the last two weeks, and suddenly the Texans rank among the top five in scoring and rushing. Watson has WR DeAndre Hopkins on track for a career year. The Texans lost two of their best defenders to season-ending injuries, DE J.J. Watt (leg) and OLB Whitney Mercilus (torn chest muscle).
Packers (4-1) at Vikings (3-2)
TV: Sunday, 1, Fox (Thom Brennaman, Troy Aikman, Erin Andrew)
The matchup: QB Aaron Rodgers’ late-game mastery was on display again, but Green Bay unearthed a run game with rookie Aaron Jones racking up 125 rushing yards. He unlocks Green Bay’s play-action game, yet another dimension for this lethal offense. Packers S Kentrell Brice and CBs Damarious Randall and Quinten Rollins stepped up after injuries to SS Morgan Burnett (hamstring) and rookie CB Kevin King (concussion). Vikings QB Sam Bradford, who missed three weeks (left knee), started vs. the Bears but was replaced by Case Keenum in the first half. With rookie phenom Dalvin Cook (torn ACL) on injured reserve, Jerick McKinnon rushed for 95 yards, including a 58-yard TD run. Vikings WR Adam Thielen had 12 catches for 202 yards and two TDs vs. the Packers last December, a few months after teammate Stefon Diggs racked up 9-182-1. Green Bay welcomed back top CB Davon House (thigh muscle) last week after a two-game absence.
Lions (3-2) at Saints (2-2)
TV: Sunday, 1, Fox (Dan Hellie, Chris Spielman, Peter Schrager) The matchup: Lions QB Mat- thew Stafford played much of the second half last weekend with thigh and ankle injuries. The Lions have given up 12 sacks over the last two games, suggesting the line needs to plug leaky pass protection. Stafford has been sacked a league-high 18 times. After producing a league-best 11 takeaways and 47 points off turnovers through four games, the Lions defense came up empty vs. Carolina. Injuries are wreaking havoc along the Saints offensive front as RT Zach Strief (knee) was placed on IR. LT Terron Armstead is expected to make his 2017 debut after offseason shoulder surgery, enabling versatile rookie Ryan Ramczyk to replace Strief. Despite the moving parts, the Saints are only the third NFL team since 1933 to be turnoverfree through its first four games.
Dolphins (2-2) at Falcons (3-1)
TV: Sunday, 1, CBS (Greg Gumbel, Trent Green, Jamie Erdahl)
The matchup: Although the Dolphins beat the Titans, QB Jay Cutler and the offense continued to struggle. Miami fans chanted for Matt Moore, but coach Adam Gase cited poor blocking as well as dropped passes and ragged route running as contributing factors. Miami has the NFL-worst points-per-game average (10.25) and ranks at the bottom in passing yards and second-to-last in rushing yards per game. Some Falcons said the loss to the Bills before the bye week made it more difficult to relax. QB Matt Ryan has already has thrown five interceptions, two fewer than all of last season. He also has had a hand in six turnovers the last two weeks, including a pick-six and a fumble returned for a TD. Coach Dan Quinn is hopeful to have several injured starters back, including WR Julio Jones (hip), RT Ryan Schraeder (concussion) and LB Vic Beasley (hamstring), the NFL’s reigning sack champion.
Patriots (3-2) at Jets (3-2)
TV: Sunday, 1, CBS (Ian Eagle, Dan Fouts, Evan Washburn)
The matchup: New England’s defense redeemed itself by limiting Tampa Bay to 14 points and made a last-minute stand to preserve the victory, but the Patriots still struggled to score. TE Rob Gronkowski (thigh) is expected back. For the first time in his 15-year NFL career, Jets QB Josh McCown has guided a team to three wins in a row. A week after RBs Bilal Powell and Elijah McGuire combined for 256 yards on 31 carries, the Jets were limited to 25 yards on 13 carries. The Patriots are yielding 124 rushing yards per game and gave up 140 vs. Tampa Bay, so there might be opportunities. The Pats have won both road games this season, following their 8-0 road mark in 2016. But QB Tom Brady, 40, is on pace to be hit 102 times and sacked 51 times. The Pats offensive line has to better protect him.
49ers (0-5) at Redskins (2-2)
TV: Sunday, 1, Fox (Chris Myers, Daryl Johnston, Laura Okmin)
The matchup: This might be San Francisco’s most important game of the season, if only because the 49ers could be getting an up-close look at their future quarterback, Kirk Cousins. First-year coach Kyle Shanahan, a former Washington assistant, has to be scratching his head about what he needs to do to earn his first NFL victory. San Francisco’s last four losses have come by a combined 11 points. To make matters worse, LB NaVorro Bowman was grumbling about his playing time and RB Carlos Hyde basically got benched during the Colts loss. Playing in what might be the NFL’s best division, the Redskins can’t afford to come out of their bye with a drop-off. With games at Philadelphia and Seattle coming up sandwiched around a home date with the Cowboys, this franchise can’t lose this week. The loss of CB Josh Norman could be a problem against an underrated group of Niners receivers.
Buccaneers (2-2) at Cardinals (2-3)
TV: Sunday, 4:05, Fox (Kenny Albert, Charles Davis, Pam Oliver)
The matchup: Anyone ready to start designing Jameis Winston’s Hall of Fame bust might want to put those plans on hold. The third-year quarterback has stumbled recently. Getting RB Doug Martin back should give Tampa Bay’s offense another dimension. The Bucs defense, which looked shaky earlier in the season, showed some good things vs. New England. Arizona’s aging squad is centered around QB Carson Palmer and WR Larry Fitzgerald, well into their 30s. Other than S Tyrann Mathieu and injured RB David Johnson, there aren’t a lot of pieces to build upon. Injuries continue to pile up. T Jared Veldheer, one of the only remaining starters on a patchwork offensive line, went down (knee) last week. The Cardinals acquired RB Adrian Peterson this week and cut RB Chris Johnson.
L.A. Rams (3-2) at Jaguars (3-2)
TV: Sunday, 4:05, Fox (Dick Stockton, Mark Schlereth, Shannon Spake)
The matchup: The Rams came within a catch of beating rival Seattle, which would have made them 4-1 and firmly in the driver’s seat in the NFC West. Five turnovers played a part in the loss, which coach Sean McVay said has him “extremely concerned.” This week QB Jared Goff faces a menacing secondary that picked off five Ben Roethlisberger passes last week. Tom Coughlin, hired as executive VP of football operations, didn’t need long to make an impression in Jacksonville. The Jaguars are looking like the New York Giants of the Super Bowl years, with an effective running game and a menacing defense that pressures quarterbacks and forces turnovers. The offense rode rookie RB Leonard Fournette heavily and needed QB Blake Bortles for just 14 pass attempts. The Rams are 3-0 when RB Todd Gurley gets 20 or more touches, 0-2 when he doesn’t.
Steelers (3-2) at Chiefs (5-0)
TV: Sunday, 4:25, CBS (Jim Nantz, Tony Romo, Tracy Wolfson)
The matchup: Frustrated QB Ben Roethlisberger said after being intercepted five times in Jacksonville, inluding two returned for TDs, “You just find a way to move on and play better.” Will he? RB Le’Veon Bell rushed for only 47 yards and the defense allowed 231 yards rushing, though 90 came on a Leonard Fournette TD with 1:47 left in the game. Many players had a hand in Kansas City’s ninth consecutive road victory, but none more than QB Alex Smith. He improved on his league-leading numbers with a 130.2 rating vs. Houston. He has 11 TD passes and no INTs and has thrown 168 consecutive passes without a pick.
Chargers (1-4) at Raiders (2-3)
TV: Sunday, 4:25, CBS (Kevin Harlan, Rich Gannon)
The matchup: The Chargers had lost nine consecutive games, including the final five of the 2016 season, before giving Anthony Lynn his first win as the team’s head coach against the New York Giants. Chargers QB Philip Rivers will be facing a Raiders pass defense that has allowed a completion percentage of 68.7 this season. After winning their first two games by a combined 71-36, the Raiders have lost three games in a row by a combined 73-37. Their 3017 loss at home to Baltimore came with EJ Manuel at quarterback as Derek Carr was sidelined by a back injury. But head coach Jack Del Rio says Carr will be ready to play vs. the Chargers. This is the second of three in a row in Oakland, with Kansas City coming four days after this one. The Raiders already have lost to Denver, so they have to snap out of it or things could get ugly with future relocation on the minds of fans.
Giants (0-5) at Broncos (3-1)
TV: Sunday, 8:30, NBC (Al Michaels, Cris Collinsworth, Michelle Tafoya)
The matchup: The Giants’ heartbreaking loss to the Chargers dropped them to 0-5 for the fourth time in franchise history. They blew a fourth-quarter lead for the third week in a row as the defense crumbled in crunchtime. Their poor pass blocking allowed QB Eli Manning to be sacked five times. And worst of all, their receiving corps was wiped out by injuries, topped by WR Odell Beckham Jr.’s broken ankle, ending his season. Denver comes out of its bye week at 3-1 and the Broncos’ average of 260.8 yards allowed per game is the NFL’s lowest. Combined with the league’s No. 3 rushing offense at 143.0 yards per game has allowed the Broncos to control the ball.
Colts (2-3) at Titans (2-3)
TV: Monday, 8:30, ESPN (Sean McDonough, Jon Gruden, Lisa Salters)
The matchup: As bad as the Colts have been, they could be atop the AFC South by Halloween. With key divisional matchups against the Titans and Jacksonville next, Indianapolis can wipe away its horrendous 1-3 start with a Week 6 win. Injured QB Andrew Luck is eyeing a Week 8 return. With Titans QB Marcus Mariota inactive (hamstring), backup QB Matt Cassel was 21-for-32 for 141 yards in a loss to Miami. Mariota hopes to return for this game. A matchup to watch is Colts WR T.Y. Hilton vs. Titans CB Adoree’ Jackson. Last week vs. the 49ers, Hilton caught seven of nine targets for 177 yards. Last year vs. Tennessee, he had 230 yards and two TDs on 12 catches in two games. If he draws the rookie corner Jackson, expect him to have an active day.